The county is one of a few that may be part of a telecommunication infrastructure inventory project provided by N.C. Broadband, a division of the N.C. Department of Commerce.

The program, funded by a grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, will include collecting data on broadband availability across the state and planning efforts.

That program was once under the e-NC Authority, according to a summary to the State Broadband Data and Development grant program updated application for Jan. 1, 2012 – Oct. 1, 2014.

The e-NC Authority was awarded more than $6.6 million to implement the program. But the legislature didn’t extend the sunset date, so the authority ceased to exist after Dec. 31, 2011.

The Appropriations Act directed the state’s broadband authority to transfer the grant to the Department of Commerce. The transfer did not change the goals and activities of the program.

Interim County Manager Richard Hicks explained the program to the county board this week after meeting with Keith Conover, the technical assistance director for NC Broadband.

“They’ve got a program,” Hicks said, “where they want to do a complete inventory of about 11 or 12 counties to see what is available in each county, and our county was selected as one of the possible alternatives.”

Potential counties are selected based on their broadband connectivity levels, high unemployment and geographic diversity — basically, counties that could benefit the most from the planning resource.

“And once they do the inventory,” he said, “that kind of tells you where your gaps are and what your needs are.”

The unmet needs of both business and residential areas will be assessed, as well as assets — such as towers and tall buildings — that could be used to encourage broadband providers to serve those areas, especially to increase economic development.

The inventories will provide verification on the collected data for future planning and funding and will be used for planning purposes under the program through the federal grant.

“Staff time would be the cost to the county,” Hicks said.

Besides Internet capabilities, cable and satellite would be included, he said.

The board unanimously accepted the offer to potentially be included in the project.

The inventory process is expected to take up to three months and doesn’t guarantee an immediate solution for broadband installation.

N.C. Broadband expects to release the requests for proposals in the near future and the timeline for awarding contracts to vendors in the fall. Inventories will be completed as late as the spring.

Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.

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The remaining funds from the State Broadband Data and Development grant program are to be used in 2012-14 as follows: